Friday, October 30, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10:30pm, got up once at midnight, again at 5:45am, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

One of my readers sent me a limerick to add to my joke collection but now I can’t find it. It would be nice if he would send it again.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show then went for my walk. Marcos wanted to buy a couple inexpensive umbrellas so we walked to Parque Envigado to a 5mil store where he bought a couple for 6 mil each.

On the way back we stopped in Parva where we each had a café con leche while sitting outside next to the sidewalk.

We will try to meet again for a walk next Monday.

Mid-afternoon we had a little rain and the temperature dropped.

I left the apt at 4pm and walked to Eduardo Madrid bakery where I paid for my 3 English Muffins.

I went to Parva where I bought a pan sano and a postre de guayaba for Teresa. I had a café con leche while reading another section in my new chess book.

I watched more of the Bosch series.

Just before going to bed I finished the Dean Koontz’s paperback Dark Rivers of the Heart.

 

Utah sent every phone in the state an emergency alert warning about rapidly rising Covid-19 cases and overwhelmed hospitals. The alarming alert was sent to everyone in Utah who had a phone capable of receiving one: the state has reached a record number of Covid-19 cases, and it was time to get serious. "State of Utah: COVID-19 is spreading rapidly. Record cases. Almost every county is a high transmission area. …”

 

The United States on Friday once again saw a record number of Covid-19 cases, when more than 98,500 infections were reported, according to an NBC News tally.

It's the fifth time since Oct. 22 that a new daily case record was set. Across the country, 98,583 new infections were reported Friday.

The U.S. reported 978 deaths Friday, according to an NBC News count.

 

The US has 8,928,224 ð 9,017,467 ð 9,078,485 coronavirus cases with 227,600+ ð 228,600+ ð 229,200+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,041,935 ð 1,053,122 ð 1,063,151 cases with 31,135 deaths. Medellin has 93,850 ð 95,038 ð 96,571 cases, an increase of 1,529 from October 29^th to 30^th. Envigado has a total of 7,162 cases, an increase of 199 from October 29^th to 30^th. New infections continue to increase.

 

Joke of the day

A senior citizen was chatting with his 80-year-old buddy. 

"So I hear you're getting married?" 

"Yep!" 

"Do I know her?" 

"Nope!" 

"This woman, is she good looking?" 

"Not really." 

"Is she a good cook?" 

"Nah, she can't cook too well." 

"Does she have lots of money?" 

"Nope! Poor as a church mouse." 

"Well, then, is she good in bed?"  

"I don't know." 

"Why in the world do you want to marry her then?" 

"Because she can still drive!"

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10:30pm, got up once at 6am, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

Teresa left at 9am to talk to Smartfit management and go for her walk.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show then walked to the mall. I noticed that Todo Fresa was nearly full with diners. I recycled a bottle upstairs on the 3^rd floor then had coffee in Santa Eleña on the 2^nd floor. I read another section in my new chess book. Coffee here is 5,900 pesos as compared to 4,500 in Todo Fresa which might be why there are fewer customers here. They do have a large assortment of croissants although I only had a café con leche.

I stopped in Exito where I bought a package of fajitas and a large package of eggs then took a taxi back to the apt.

 

I’ve read most of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels so I started the first of 7 seasons of the TV series Bosch (8.4) on Medellin TV.

I had a 2-hour chess lesson with Juan Castro.

We had a little rain in the afternoon.

I spent hours downloading a Chessbase magazine that is part of my annual Chessbase subscription but in the end it wasn’t in the database like it was supposed to be.

 

The US has 8,816,767 ð 8,928,224 ð 9,017,467 coronavirus cases with 226,200+ ð 227,600+ ð 228,600+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,033,218 ð 1,041,935 ð 1,053,122 cases with 30,926 deaths. Medellin has 92,386 ð 93,850 ð 95,038 cases, an increase of 1,180 from October 28^th to 29^th. Envigado has a total of 6,962 cases, an increase of 259 from October 28^th to 29^th. New infections continue to increase.

 

Joke of the day

An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. 

The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, "Last night we went out to a new restaurant and it was really great, I would recommend it very highly." 

The other man said, "What is the name of the restaurant?" 

The first man thought and thought and finally said, "What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know, the one that's red and has thorns?" 

"Do you mean a rose?" 

"Yes, that's the one," replied the man.

He then turned toward the kitchen and yelled, "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?"

Wedneday, October 28, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10:30pm, got up once at 3am, finally waking/getting up at 7:30am.

I hesitate to use the word “cure” but the marigold (calendula) flower pills seem to be working marvelously for the osteoarthritis in my back.

Teresa informed me she wanted to return to the gym. She said she would talk to management and I would then put 1 month’s fee in Laura’s account. She’s expecting a fish delivery this morning so I told her to go to the gym and I would cancel my walk to wait for the delivery. I told her I’m not returning anytime soon since I’m in a high-risk category (male, old, overweight) and infections continue to increase. Ten minutes later she completely changed her mind, she’s not returning to the gym and I can go for my walk.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show and went for my walk.

I completed my usual route then headed south on Avenida Poblado. Men were putting up Christmas decorations on the main streets. I turned east on Transversal 33 and walked to the end. I noticed a Jehovah’s Witness temple on the last block. On the way back to the apt I bought a few groceries at a small market. Today I wore my step counter and I completed almost 8,000.

Jeff, from Medelling Guru, emailed me with a correction to my blog. It’s Antioquia’s ICU bed occupancy that is over 80% not Colombia’s.

At 1:45 we lost all power. Teresa noticed my computer still turned on and I told her it has a battery but it seldom is used because its always plugged in. We took a nap. The power came back on an hour later.

I hadn’t updated my Chessbase 15 Mega Database with new games since I bought it last February. I googled how to do an update, located my password, and started the process about 5pm. It finally finished at 9:15 after adding 277,943 new games.

 

The Trump administration’s Covid-19 testing czar warned Wednesday that local governments may be forced to impose “draconian measures” if Americans don’t start taking safety precautions seriously and the coronavirus crisis worsens.

“We still can control this” by wearing masks, social distancing and being careful around the holidays, Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of health, said on NBC’s “Today” show.

“But if we don’t do those things, it may force local officials or government officials in the states to have more draconian measures because cases will go up if we don’t make a change.”

 

The US has 8,739,490 ð 8,816,767 ð 8,928,224 coronavirus cases with 225,300+ ð 226,200+ ð 227,600+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,025,052 ð 1,033,218 ð 1,041,935 cases with 30,753 deaths. Medellin has 91,145 ð 92,386 ð 93,850 cases, an increase of 1,458 from October 27^th to 28^th. Envigado has a total of 6,703 cases, an increase of 97 from October 27^th to 28^th. New infections continue to increase.

 

Joke of the day

RIP boiling water – you will be mist.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10:30pm, got up once at 1am, again at 5:15, finally waking/getting up at 6:30am.

Last night I watched the Chicago Bears lose to the LA Rams 24-10.

I left the apt just before 8am and walked to the mall. Today Herman’s juice stand wasn’t set up. It was 8am and Habia Una Vez hadn’t opened yet. I went up to the 3^rd floor and recycled a couple plastic bottles. Back downstairs the waitress had put up the gates and was cleaning tables. I waited for Jose in case he would have breakfast with me. He arrived at 8:30 and all he wanted was coffee and a pastelito de queso. I had the usual complete breakfast for 10mil.

We went up to the food court just after 9am. I had the black pieces in the first game and he checkmated me in 23 moves.

For lunch I had the Chinese buffet again from Sr. Wok. While I was eating Jose went into a nearby store and had a visa photo taken.

In the 2^nd game I had white and he held off my attack for awhile and started one of his one. I held him off and he had to recommit some of his forces to defending his own king. In the end (over 60 moves) I queened a pawn and forced his king in front of his pawn and he resigned.

He left and I went downstairs where I had a café con leche at Todo Fresa while catching up on the news on my cellphone.

Teresa called and asked me to meet her at her mother’s when I was finished with my coffee and we would return to the apt together.

After I picked her up we decided to take a taxi back to the apt, luckily because it soon started sprinkling although it didn’t amount to anything.

I watched an interesting mini-series called Don’t F**K With Cats:Hunting an Internet Killer (8.1).

It appears they will be closing things down this Halloween weekend I just don’t know the extent at this time.

 

A senior U.S. official appointed by President Donald Trump has scrapped a federal regulation designed to protect the editorial independence of Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media outlets, amid accusations he is undermining the journalistic credibility of the broadcasters.

 

At a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said something incredible -- even by his standards.

Recounting how his campaign had to move the site of the rally to comply with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's Covid-19 protocols, Trump said:

"I'll remember it, Tom. I'm gonna remember it, Tom. 'Hello, Mr. President, this is Governor Wolf, I need help, I need help.' You know what? These people are bad."

Let's be very clear what Trump is doing here: He is threatening to withhold federal aid -- or some sort of other assistance -- the next time Pennsylvania needs it because the state's governor, according to the President, made it difficult to find a site to hold a campaign rally. Yes, really.

 

The coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. is worse today than it’s ever been. CDC director Robert Redfield believes the U.S. could defeat the coronavirus in 12 weeks if people started taking coronavirus safety guidelines like wearing masks more seriously. The coronavirus is spreading rapidly across a majority of U.S. states and experts are anticipating a huge spike in infections now that colder weather is settling in.

 

The US has 8,700,184 ð 8,739,490 ð 8,816,767 coronavirus cases with 225,100+ ð 225,300+ ð 226,200+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,015,885 ð 1,025,052 ð 1,033,218 cases with 30,565 deaths. Medellin has 90,193 ð 91,145 ð 92,386 cases, an increase of 1,251 from October 26^th to 27^th. Envigado has a total of 6,605 cases, an increase of 159 from October 26^th to 27^th. New infections continue to increase.

 

Joke of the day

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears, my illegal logging business is a success.

Column: Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation was shockingly hypocritical. But there may be a silver lining.

 So now it is official: The same Republican senators who in 2016 refused to consider Merrick Garland’s appointment to the Supreme Court because, with eight months to go, it was supposedly too close to the presidential election, have now confirmed Amy Coney Barrett with just eight days left before the election.

This is so unprincipled, so inconsistent and so cynical that it defies the imagination. It is the flip-flop of the century, undertaken by the Republicans for one reason: Barrett’s confirmation ensures a conservative majority on the high court for the foreseeable future.

But here is one good thing that could come of this shameful episode. With millions of people still casting their votes before Nov. 3, perhaps the Barrett confirmation will open Americans’ eyes, once and for all, and show them who they’re dealing with. Perhaps it will persuade them to reject the radical and hypocritical Senate Republicans at the polls.

Barrett’s confirmation, after all, is only one of many irresponsible moves by the Senate majority, led by the craven Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who long ago threw his lot in with President Trump. In recent years, he and his caucus have grown not just more extreme in their ideology but more unscrupulous in their tactics.

Not only did they refuse a hearing to Garland (giving that seat instead to Trump appointee Neil M. Gorsuch), but not long after, McConnell and his colleagues rammed Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination through without a comprehensive investigation of the sexual assault allegations against him.

The Senate majority also slow-walked the confirmation of lower court judges during the final years of the Obama administration — and then sped them up when Trump came into office.

The Senate majority ignored evidence, disregarded facts and refused to hear additional witnesses before acquitting Trump in a half-baked impeachment trial in February, thereby giving the imprimatur of the upper house to the president’s high crimes and misdemeanors.

Senate Republicans have refused to stand up to Trump as he politicized every part of the government from the post office to the census to the Justice Department, and even as he turned the conduct of American foreign policy to his own political ends.

And they did virtually nothing to stop further Russian interference in American elections.

Norman Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has identified some of the factors that have driven congressional Republicans to the right over the years and encouraged their take-no-prisoners approach to politics. He cites the no-tax pledge promulgated by conservative activist Grover Norquist and the anti-Washington animus fostered by Newt Gingrich. There was the “Southern strategy” of Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater to win white votes in the Southern states.

And there’s been the slow but steady disappearance of liberal and moderate Republicans.

In 2012, Ornstein, along with Thomas E. Mann of the Brookings Institution, called the Republican Party “ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science.” Today, Ornstein says the problem is worse. “Now it’s not a party but a cult.”

The GOP today is the anti-immigration party, the party of racial division and the party of Trump. It has squandered any reputation it may once have had for principled fiscal conservatism, presiding over costly and irresponsible tax cuts designed to win votes. It largely rejects bipartisanship, as we saw clearly during the Obama administration.

Democracy only works when rules and norms are in place. It only works when the parties compromise through a process of discussion, deliberation and voting.

Unquestionably, both political parties have made bad decisions over the years; both are susceptible to the tugs of partisanship. Democrats and Republicans alike have engaged in tit-for-tat tactics that make compromise more difficult.

For me, though, the turning point was the mistreatment of Merrick Garland. The Republicans flatly blocked an elected president from exercising his constitutional duty to name a new justice.

That was shocking enough. But now, with the Barrett confirmation, they’ve brazenly reversed their own logic, proclaiming their hypocrisy for the world to see.

That kind of disingenuous politics needs to be rejected.

Over time, the U.S. needs to rebuild a system that allows men and women of different parties, ideas and ideologies to work together in good faith to solve the serious problems facing the country.

By Nicholas Goldberg, Los Angeles Times.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10:30pm, got up once at 5am, couldn’t fall back asleep due to a mild headache, got up at 5:30 and took an Advil, fell asleep quickly finally waking/getting up at 8am.

I watched the first 20 minutes of the Today show then met Marcos outside his apt. He needed to go to the bank so we headed straight for the park. We walked past Aymará and, with sidewalk repairs continuing outside, it’s now open. Downtown Envigado, Marcos got into a line to enter Bancolombia and I went in search of the Une/Tivo store. I had their address but I found it right where I thought it was. There was a short line outside but now I know exactly where it is. Across the street I looked inside the Mercado de Tranvia and it looked completely gutted. Sad! On the way back I walked down Transversal 33A for the first time before returning to the apt.

Teresa left just before 11 for an 11:30 doctor’s appointment.

On NFL Game Pass I watched the end of last night’s game won by Arizona over Seattle in overtime.

I started watching Totally Under Control on Medellin TV but again it froze after a few minutes.

I left the apt at 1pm and walked to Papa John’s. I underwent the usual rigamarole to enter – temperature, hand sanitizer, and wiping of feet on a special mat. They had their menu online accessible by one of those QR codes which my cellphone occasionally has trouble accessing. I was undecided as whether to just get the cheese pizza or go for an Italian. I unquired about a Margarita and he confirmed it was cheese only so I ordered it. I also ordered a small Coke which came in a bottle in a plastic bag – I don’t think restaurants use dispensers anymore. When my order was ready he didn’t bring it to my table, he just set it aside and pointed to it. It turned out to have Italian sausage on it that was surprisingly good.

From there I walked to Parva where I had a café con leche and I bought a pastel de guayaba to go for Teresa. She called me at 2:30 and I understood, incorrectly, that she was on her way to join me. At 3pm I called her and learned she was on her way back to the apt and I said I would meet here there. I walked back to the apt.

I’ve heard that the occupancy of Antioquia’s ICU beds is over 80%.

 

Last week Marcellis Stinnette, a Black 19-year-old, was shot and killed by police in the Chicago suburb of Waukegan, Illinois. Police said they were investigating a suspicious vehicle which then fled the area. A second officer soon spotted the car nearby. Authorities said as he approached it, the car began to reverse toward him and the officer fired into it. Stinnette, who was in the passenger seat, was killed. His girlfriend Tafara Williams, who was driving, is now in the hospital recovering from injuries. On Friday, the Waukegan Police Dept announced the officer involved was fired for "multiple policy and procedure violations." Illinois State Police are investigating the shooting with help from the FBI.

"Why did you shoot?": Speaking from her hospital bed, Williams pleaded for answers. Meanwhile, protests in Waukegan broke out last week and over the weekend, calling for justice in Stinnette's death.

 

The head of an advisory council on federal pay resigned from his post Monday in protest over President Donald Trump's recent executive order stripping civil service protections from key federal workers.

"I have concluded that as a matter of conscience, I can no longer serve him or his Administration," Federal Salary Council Chair Ron Sanders, a Trump appointee, wrote in his resignation letter to the director of the Personnel Executive Office of the President, the text of which was obtained by POLITICO.

"[I]t is clear that its stated purpose notwithstanding, the Executive Order is nothing more than a smokescreen for what is clearly an attempt to require the political loyalty of those who advise the President, or failing that, to enable their removal with little if any due process," he wrote.

 

Donald Trump thanked the New York Post after it became the largest newspaper to issue an endorsement for his reelection campaign Monday morning. The tweet from the president came just two hours after one of his trademark posts railing against the 'fake news' for the bias against him

'The Fake News Media is riding COVID, COVID, COVID, all the way to the Election. Losers!' Trump tweeted. President Trump has suggested that the media is working to paint his COVID-19 response poorly and get Democratic nominee Joe Biden elected in November. More than 100 newspapers and media outlets have endorsed Biden over the only handful who have endorsed Trump.

 

 

President Donald Trump on Monday argued against counting all of the votes cast in the 2020 presidential election.

While traveling from a campaign rally in Pennsylvania to the swearing-in of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Trump suggested that voting should end on election day and the incomplete results should be accepted.

 

"We're not going to control the pandemic." There you have it from President Trump's chief of staff, announcement of failure, incompetence and cold indifference. You're on your own, America. Try not to die.

 

The US has 8,580,948 ð 8,700,184 ð 8,739,490 coronavirus cases with 224,400+ ð 225,100+ ð 225,300+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 1,007,711 ð 1,015,885 ð 1,025,052 cases with 30,348 deaths. Medellin has 88,401 ð 90,193 ð 91,145 cases, an increase of 954 from October 25^th to 26^th. Envigado has a total of 6,446 cases, an increase of 113 from October 25^th to 26^th. New infections continue to increase.

 

Joke of the day

I wanted to marry my English teacher when she got out of jail, but apparently you don’t end a sentence with a proposition.

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Last night I took a Zopiclona and went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 4am, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

I left the apt at 8am and arrived at Ganso & Castor at 8:30. Glenn (with Bianca) arrived a few minutes later. We each had our usual – eggs benedict for him and acai berry with fruit & granola for me. The only thing different this time was I also had Greek yogurt with mine. Of course we both had a couple coffees. Glenn recommended a pedometer app which I downloaded to my cellphone. Bianca is a very well mannered dog, patiently lying under our table. We left about 10:30 and I took a bus home.

Teresa had already left for the finca.

I finished watching The Queen’s Gambit. It’s got amazing reviews on IMDB with an incredible rating of 8.9.

I left again about 1:30 and walked to the mall. On the way I saw Herman and I asked him if he ever takes a day off. He explained that he gets a lot of customers for ciclovia. I went up to Sport Wings and asked if they could put on some American Football. They put on NFL Red Zone and gave me a seat nearby. I had an iced tea and nachos. I then went down to Todo Fresa and had a café con leche while reading some more from my new chess book. I downloaded the NFL Game Pass app to my cellphone.

I returned to the apt about 4pm in a light rain.

I started watching Totally Under Control (7.7) on Medellin TV but didn’t get far as my internet speed doesn’t appear to be strong enough.

Teresa returned about 5pm with this month’s finca rental.

I watched NFL football most of the day; the Bears play tomorrow night against the L.A. Rams.

 

The New Hampshire Union Leader, the conservative-leaning Manchester-based newspaper, endorsed Joe Biden for president on Sunday.

Why it matters: It's the first time the paper has endorsed a Democrat for president in over 100 years, after it broke from more than a century of backing Republicans to endorse libertarian Gary Johnson over President Trump in 2016.

 

CNN: As President Trump continues to say the US is turning the corner in the coronavirus pandemic, no state has reported fewer Covid-19 cases this week than last week. 

 

 At least five people in Vice President Mike Pence's orbit have tested positive for coronavirus in recent days, including chief of staff Marc Short, close aide Zach Bauer and outside adviser Marty Obst, sources confirm to ABC News and CNN.

 

Every election cycle, political journalists and observers wait in anticipation for the "October Surprise" -- the unexpected news event that has the potential to shake up the race. In 2016, it was FBI Director James Comey's announcement of a new development in the investigation of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, driving negative coverage that cost her the election. Four years later, President Donald Trump and his media and congressional allies have been trying to recreate that magic to boost his reelection odds against former Vice President Joe Biden.

But this year's October Surprise isn't about a candidate's adherence to the Presidential Records Act or debunked allegations of public corruption. It's something far more consequential and visceral to the public -- a third wave of COVID-19 cases bearing down on the country on Trump's watch, in part because he's been taking advice from his Fox News cabinet rather than listening to public health experts.

 

It was Oct. 25, 2019 when former Vice President and hopeful 2020 candidate Joe Biden tweeted out a warning to the American public.

"We are not prepared for a pandemic," he wrote, weeks ahead of COVID-19 being named and flagged as an emerging threat. "Trump has rolled back progress President Obama and I made to strengthen global health security. We need leadership that builds public trust, focuses on real threats, and mobilizes the world to stop outbreaks before they reach our shores."

 

A Fox News investigation “found no role for Joe Biden” in the business dealing of his son, Hunter, the network said on Sunday.

The admission was made by Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins.

Jenkins explained that the news organization had been provided documents by Tony Bobulinski, Hunter Biden’s former business partner.

“You’re talking about a business venture with the Chinese energy company in 2017 at a time when Joe Biden was not vice president,” Jenkins explained. “But Fox’s review of Bobulinski’s documents, which were given to us, found no role for Joe Biden in that business venture.”

 

Hundreds of laid-off service workers are banning together in the last days until the 2020 election to get out the vote in Nevada, Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Many of them are immigrants who lost employment during President Donald J. Trump’s time in office over the past four years.

 

Ultra-black coatings and paints like Vantablack have gotten lots of attention in recent years. What the world needs now is to cool off (we've hit an unprecedented point in global warming), and a new white paint developed by engineers at Purdue University could help.

The paint reflects 95.5% of sunlight and "can keep surfaces up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their ambient surroundings," said Purdue in a statement this week. That's something commercial heat-reflecting white paints haven't been able to achieve.

 

The US has 8,498,283 ð 8,580,948 ð 8,700,184 coronavirus cases with 223,400+ ð 224,400+ ð 225,100+ deaths.

Per Medellin Guru, as of this afternoon Colombia has a total of 998,942 ð 1,007,711 ð 1,015,885 cases with 30,154 deaths. Medellin has 87,353 ð 88,401 ð 90,193 cases, an increase of 1,785 from October 24^th to 25^th. Envigado has a total of 6,345 cases, an increase of 137 from October 24^th to 25^th. New infections continue to increase. I wouldn’t be surprised if some cities implement curfews or partial quarantines again.

Joke of the day

Actually four out of fife readers seldom  ever notice when names of musical instruments are substituted for words in a sentence.